The Ruins of a Man
by JeMiChi
Summary: Canon divergence - set in an alternate timeline where Law makes a discovery that will change everything in his life again. Corazon is alive but badly hurt. Be aware that this story includes graphic descriptions of torture, injuries, and medical procedures. Extra content in celebration of the "Corazon week" 2018! :D
1. Chapter 1

_Hi there! A few words from the author first:  
This is a story I was originally writing in 2015. Thanks to my friend Majora, I'm continuing it now in the hopes that it will be finished one day.  
Normally I write stories based on my theories, but be aware that THIS is not one of those stories, even though it borrows some elements from my theories.  
If things like graphic descriptions of torture, injuries, and medical procedures make you uncomfortable, then this might not be for you. Proceed with caution, I guess. _

* * *

**Chapter 1: Worse than Death?**

Law wasn't thrilled to be here again. The old 'headquarters' of the Donquixote pirates hadn't changed much in these years.

After the disaster at Dressrosa, Doflamingo had stepped down from his position as the king and from being a Shichibukai. He had escaped the hand of justice and disappeared.  
Law hadn't been able to finish him off in the end, and as expected, Luffy wouldn't kill him either. The plan had failed from that part.

So, after Law had recovered from his wounds enough to move again and reunited with his crew, he had traveled to this familiar place to pursue the man that had turned his life into misery thirteen years ago, just when he had seen some hope for the first time in his life.

The fact that Doflamingo was still alive didn't bother him as much as it had previously though. He had been 'stopped' after all. The whole world was Doflamingo's enemy now, so the man wouldn't be able to do much on his own. But for Law, some questions were left unanswered.

Law remained calm as he walked through the empty corridors. The place had no signs of life now, even though it was clear that someone had been there recently.  
Why would Doflamingo return to this place when he knew that it was easy for Law to find was a mystery. It could have been a trap, but the surgeon knew better.  
Even though Law was still recovering from his wounds after the battle, Doflamingo hadn't escaped undamaged either and he wouldn't be as big a threat now. As a doctor, Law knew very well how close to death his enemy was, even after he'd had some weeks to recover.. Even so, Law wasn't there looking for a battle. He still needed some answers, there were so many things that just didn't make sense. But if he'd have to, he'd beat those answers out of Doflamingo. He could do it this time for sure.

Law had had some time to think after the battle. He was still far from being fully healed, so he spent a lot of time simply resting, but he had been unable to sleep. Because of that, he had gone through all the things he had learned at Dressrosa in his mind countless of times.  
But in order to put an end to this madness completely, he'd have to know more.  
Law was hoping he wouldn't have to waste his strength too much. Using his ability even for something minor was already pushing his injured body beyond its limits so a prolonged battle wouldn't do him any good.

Law opened a door to yet another corridor. This place was less familiar to him. Buffalo and Baby 5 had told him about it in the past, but he had never been there himself. There were cells to his left. Law could see old blood stains on the floor. This was the place where Doflamingo had kept his prisoners and tortured his victims for information or as a punishment. Few of them had returned alive.  
There were no windows, but the wall had a row of candles. Law lit them one by one to be able to see his surroundings a bit better.  
The ominous atmosphere of the cold, dark cells, or the dried up blood on the stone surface didn't bother him. He had seen far worse. All the cells here were empty, but he kept scanning every corner of each room with his gaze just in case there would be something worth his interest.  
Soon Law realized there wasn't much to see and moved on, lighting more candles as he walked forward deeper into the dungeon. His steps echoed in the silence.  
Some of the cells had items left from their unfortunate inhabitants. Doflamingo hadn't bothered to clean them up, and as far as Law knew, he had never allowed anyone to enter this place, not by their free will anyway.  
Everything was covered in a thick layer of dirt and dust and the farther the man walked the stronger the smell of death grew. Because of the moisture, everything was covered in mold and any items that had been forgotten in the cells were rotting. It wasn't a pleasant place and the doctor held his breath by instinct.

There were only a few small cells left to investigate, and Law was about to turn around when something caught his attention. One of the cells wasn't empty.

A skeletal figure was lying on the floor of the last cell, his wrists chained together with something that looked like kairouseki handcuffs that bent his thin arms into an unnatural position behind his back. The person didn't have any clothes on, and he was covered in so much dirt and dried blood that he blended in with the stained stone floor almost perfectly. While the victim was tall, he was so thin that he was barely recognizable as a human being. His face was completely hidden by his long and messy hair and beard that had grown wild in the captivity, and his hair was covered in so much filth that it was impossible to tell the original color. The man wasn't moving or reacting to Law's presence in any way. The surgeon was sure the prisoner was dead, had probably been for a while already. Law had seen so much death during his life that one more corpse didn't really bother him. He was almost used to it. Normally he would have passed the cage without giving it much thought.

However, since Law had already walked all the way there anyway, he decided to take another look at the motionless body just out of curiosity. Law picked up a candle from the wall and took a step closer to the forgotten victim, but as soon as the light reached the cell and allowed him a better view of the body, he froze on the spot and his usual look of indifference vanished from his face in an instant.  
The person in the cell was covered in scars from head to toe. Many of them seemed relatively fresh, with dried blood still surrounding the open wounds. Of course there wouldn't be anything strange about that, considering the body belonged to a victim of torture. But those weren't the thing that caught Law's attention. No, there were many scars that were much older and there was something eerily familiar about them.

Gasping, Law ran to the cell and grabbed the iron bars to get a better look.  
That's when the realization truly hit him. He knew this man.

It was impossible. Law shook his head, once, twice, but the familiar scars were always there. His eyes scanned the man's bony chest, and there it was, that one scar he knew so well. After all, he was the one who had caused it. Law started shaking uncontrollably.

How?

Just then, a familiar snigger was heard from the doorway at the beginning of the corridor.  
"Fufufu! Seems like you've finally found my dear brother."  
Doflamingo was observing Law through his sunglasses, leaning lazily against the doorframe looking as relaxed as ever, even though Law was certain he hadn't recovered from his injuries yet.

Law growled furiously. He kept holding onto the iron bars even when he turned to glare at the man. His emotions that he'd tried to keep hidden were taking a hold of him again.

"What did you do to him?!" he yelled. "All these years I've believed that Cora-san was dead! I was there, I saw how you shot him!"

Doflamingo's smile never vanished. He eyed the motionless man in the dark cell briefly before answering.

"But, he IS dead indeed. The Corazon you know died that day. He no longer exists," Doflamingo said, and shrugged. "I kept the body as a memento, he was my brother after all," he explained matter-of-factly. "But, weaklings can't pick their way to die," Doflamingo added barely audibly and laughed.

Law was too furious to hear Doflamingo's cold laughter or whatever he said next. He could only hear his own voice yelling curses at the man, and wanted nothing more than to rip him to pieces for what he had done even if he'd end up dead in the process himself.

But there was another emotion even stronger than his rage that made Law turn away from the laughing lunatic.

The surgeon called up his "Room" and entered the cell, kneeling beside the skeleton-like body. At least he'd take the remains away from this horrible place and give him a proper burial. Sadness filled Law's heart as he looked at the miserable state of the body of the man he cherished so much. Cora-san had had to suffer so much.  
Law reached out to wipe the man's hair away from his face with his left hand. He wanted to get a look at his face, even if he was just a cold lifeless corpse now.

However, as Law's hand touched the cheek of the motionless man, the surgeon realized that he hadn't turned completely cold. As the surgeon inspected him further, he noticed the slow movement of the man's chest. Against all the odds Corazon was still breathing, even if just barely.

He still wasn't reacting to anything though, so Law figured he must have been unconscious.  
No wonder in that state, he thought grimly. Enduring this much was already beyond unbelievable.

The doctor removed his long coat quickly to wrap it around Corazon's thin frame.  
To Law's surprise, what little there was still left of the muscles of the tall man turned tense as he placed the cloth around him.

"Cora-san, it's me. Law." He tried to draw a response from the man, but there was no further reaction.

Doflamingo watched the situation with an amused smirk as Law kept carefully inspecting the man.  
As it was becoming clear that he wouldn't be getting any kind of answer from the tortured man, the surgeon resumed wiping Corazon's long hair from his face with a worried frown on his face. Law was barely able to stop himself from gasping in terror as he took in the view letting the hair fall back on the man's face.

It took Law a moment to process what he had seen before he could continue.  
As a doctor and as a pirate, Law had seen many very disturbing things. Even his childhood had been turned into a bloody horror show. But somehow he never expected to see Corazon like this.  
With even more care, he revealed the man's face again and observed it silently.

Scars of different shapes and sizes filled every part of Corazon's face, making it unrecognizable. The worst part was his eyes though. Or rather, where his eyes used to be. As a doctor Law could tell painfully well how he had lost them. The burnt scars surrounding the dark holes were a clear proof of the kind of torture he had gone through. The bone under the skin was also fractured in several places, and Law couldn't help but wonder how great the damage to the man's brain might be.  
As if reading his thoughts, Doflamingo chuckled.

"He won't even remember you anymore. It's for the best to just leave him to rot! He won't be of any use for you!"

Law finally turned his attention back to the other man and snarled.

"Use?! I never wanted to use Cora-san for anything! I'm not that kind of person! No, I'm not a monster like you!"

Law was filled with rage again. He had never wanted to kill Doflamingo as much as now! However, he understood that now was not the time. No, there was something much more important for him to do. The doctor wrapped his arms around Corazon's body. Even though Law had grown a lot during these years, the man was still much taller than him, but he had turned light enough for Law to lift him from the ground easily.  
He could feel the man's athropied muscles tense under his touch again, as if anticipating something bad, but his thin body was too weak to resist any further as the surgeon carried him in his arms.  
Law called up another "Room", and quickly transported the two of them as far away as possible.  
It didn't take him long to get outside of the building, but he was getting exhausted rapidly. It was partly because he had been using his ability too much, but also because of the kairouseki handcuffs that still chained Corazon's arms together. The submarine wasn't far though and Law could run the distance in no time.

It didn't seem like Doflamingo was following him. The man never seemed to be in much of a hurry, always so confident in his ability to eventually catch his prey. Even so, it was a bit of a surprise for the surgeon. But Law was not planning to stay around to play with him. None of his earlier questions mattered now that he had found Cora-san.

Once he was inside the submarine with Corazon, he ordered his crew to submerge immediately and move as far away from the island as fast as possible. He never stopped to catch his breath or to answer any questions until he reached the operating room.  
The bright lights revealed the horrible condition of Corazon's body even more clearly. Law had a grim look on his face as he placed the man on the table with utmost care.

"Captain! Who is this? Did you find Doflamingo already? What about the battle?"  
A polar bear had followed Law to the operating room, and was almost desperately trying to catch his attention. Behind him, several members of the crew were watching him curiously.

"Ah, Bepo. Change in plans, this is important," Law replied without looking at the bear.

"I'm sorry," the bear bowed and apologized quickly.

The surgeon gave the bear a quick glance. "Could you just get someone with the tools to remove kairouseki handcuffs? And some spare clothes for him..?" he requested.

Bepo nodded, and without further instructions, the bear left the room to take care of his new mission, and to return to navigate the submarine after he was done. He was the one who understood the captain the best after all.

Jean Bart, the tallest member of the crew was still watching Law and his new patient from the doorway with a serious expression. He didn't know who the person that the captain had brought in was, but he recognized a victim of torture when he saw one. He had been a slave for long enough to have seen all kinds of horrors, and he was eternally grateful to the captain for saving him before he had had to experience any more of it himself. And he wasn't the only one in the crew that understood pain and suffering.  
Next to him was standing another member of the crew with a mask on his face. He nodded politely at the captain when Law noticed them. He had seen the destroyed body and face of the new patient and it had brought back some unpleasant memories.  
He was wearing the mask for a reason.

The captain was busy setting up the life support system for the new patient, and unfortunately the two members of the crew still watching from the doorway didn't have the skills to assist him, so the masked man poked Jean Bart with his elbow to signal for them to get out of the way. They bowed at the captain politely before leaving the room to take care of their own duties on the submarine.

Once Law was alone with Corazon, he began to talk to him in a calming tone, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright, while gently cleaning his body with warm water and disinfectant.  
The man still wouldn't respond and Law was almost certain he had lost consciousness completely during the transport. He was badly malnutritioned and dehydrated after all and Law was worried the man might never wake up.  
Once the surgeon had cleaned Corazon's arm properly, he prepared the IV to give him some fluids. He'd have to be careful. Corazon's body had become extremely fragile.  
At least it didn't seem like he'd have to worry about him moving around and accidentally hurting himself more.

Just then Penguin and Shachi peeked into the room. They had arrived with the tools requested for removing the handcuffs. However, the cuffs were tougher than expected and they wouldn't open easily. The force was just making them dig deeper into Corazon's thin wrists. Law sighed heavily, and decided to leave that for later. There were more urgent matters to worry about now. They were able to cut the chain between the cuffs though, releasing the man's arms from their unnatural position. But his arms were stiff from being forced behind his back for who knows how long. Law massaged Corazon's arms, shoulders, and back gently, while carefully moving his arms to a more normal position. The joints still cracked disturbingly, but the man remained as silent and motionless as before.

Now that Corazon's arms were free, Law started trying to insert the IV tubes he had prepared, but it turned out impossible, even with his skills. The man was so badly dehydrated that even locating his veins from his thin arms was difficult and poking the veins with a needle would just result in more damage. It didn't surprise Law. With a resigned sigh, the surgeon decided to switch his tools and try something else.  
The two members of Law's crew assisted him as he started cleaning and disinfecting the patient's chest and shoulder instead. Even if the man was so badly dehydrated, Law would have no problem locating his central vein just below his right collarbone. Corazon wasn't going to leave the bed anytime soon, so it was the most effective way to provide him with lifesaving fluids and medication anyway. Once he'd be able to move again, he would no longer suffer from the symptoms of dehydration either so Law would be able to switch the IV to his arm instead. But that would take a while. Right now it was vital for the man to get some fluids and nutrition one way or another. Unfortunately Corazon's body had gone into 'starvation mode', so even if he'd be able to eat, he'd have to start slow and get his organs used to digesting food again, so for now this would be the only way to provide him with the nutrients he so desperately needed to survive.

With Corazon hooked up to the life support system, Law could relax a little. The man would receive additional oxygen and be fully monitored by the many machines in the room. The surgeon could move on to treat the man's wounds.  
Both of his crewmates looked quite shocked when Law revealed the destroyed face of the new patient.  
Law cut Corazon's hair and beard short, so he'd be able to treat the wounds better, as much as possible at this point. Most of the damage done to his body would be unrepairable through any normal means, but Law would do whatever just possible to heal the man. The surgeon spared a glance at his own right arm. Yes, if anyone could help Cora-san, it would be him.

It had been a while since Penguin and Shachi had seen their captain concentrate so seriously on something. They both just silently assisted him, offering him any tools he happened to need, while monitoring their new patient. They had never seen this man before, but clearly he was someone very important to their captain, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Once Law was done giving Corazon first aid and cleaning him properly to prevent his wounds from getting infected, or at least from getting worse, he used his ability to scan the man's whole body for any additional damage that might need immediate attention. He frowned.  
The man had lots of broken bones. Some of them had healed on their own over time and were left in weird positions. They would need to be operated, but that could wait. They didn't pose a real threat to the man's life. Law was more worried about the affects of malnutrition to his organs. None of them were working properly, and the man wouldn't have lived much longer if he hadn't found him that day. Law's frown deepened as he scanned the damage in Corazon's head. His skull had indeed cracked from several places. It hurt Law to think what could have caused such damage. There were some signs of earlier bleeding inside his skull, but to his relief, he couldn't detect any serious damage in his brain. That was a good sign. However, the scan revealed another grim fact. Corazon could no longer hear, nor speak. Even his tongue and the inside of his throat and ears were a mess of poorly healed wounds and scar tissue. He had really become mute, as well as blind and deaf. No wonder he hadn't reacted to Law's words earlier.  
Exhausted both physically and mentally, Law finally sat down. There wasn't much else he could do right now, and suddenly the surgeon felt really tired. He'd been too busy trying to save Corazon to even notice his own exhaustion until now. Penguin brought him a cup of coffee before he even asked for it. Neither him nor Shachi had spoken a word during all this time and Law was thankful to them. He'd explain them everything later. He drank his coffee quickly and hid his face under the peak of his hat. Law needed some time to think.

Penguin and Shachi looked at each other and nodded. They allowed the captain to rest a little and finished bandaging the new patient for him. Law watched them from the corner of his eye, feeling grateful. He had known these two since that dark day, so he trusted them deeply. He wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them and Bepo.

...

The next day, Law spent most of his time with Corazon. He kept checking and double-checking all the machines, making sure the IVs were dripping enough fluids to the veins of the man, adjusting the temperature of the room, and changing the bandages of his patient. And then, just sitting by the man's side lost in thought. And occassionally he'd take Corazon's arms and legs to stretch them or to just move them a little in order to make the stiffness of the years in chains go away. He had moved the man to a bed with a soft mattress so there wouldn't be as much pressure on his wounds and he might be able to rest more comfortably. Sedatives and painkillers would help with that too, but the surgeon couldn't risk making the dose too high when Cora-san's body was in such a weak condition, but at least he wouldn't be in as much pain as earlier.

That day, as Law grabbed Corazon's arm, the muscles of the man tensed a little. Law raised his eyebrows. Corazon had regained consciousness. He was still way too weak to actually move his limbs and Law placed his arm back on the bed with care. Seeing a positive change lifted Law's spirits, but as he looked at the person lying there, he realized it was still way too early to feel happy. Even with Corazon's amazing endurance, it would be a great battle to just keep him alive. Not to mention bringing him back from the sad condition he was in.

Law was keeping the man alive by giving him fluids directly into his bloodstream. Now that he had regained consciousness, it was about time for him to start getting used to eating food again. Or at least drinking a little, for starters. Then he might regain some much needed strength to his body. After all, he'd need to be stronger in order to survive any kind of surgeries or treatment which he'd need to recover, so the sooner he'd start eating, the better.  
However, feeding someone who'd been so close to starving to death could be tricky and risky for the patient.

Law stood up and picked up the cup he had prepared earlier from the counter. He kept his eyes on his patient while warming the contents in the cup. It was a liquid soup, not thicker than regular juice, but rich with nutrients that the man's body was desperately craving for. But there was only enough for a little sip. Corazon's body wouldn't be able to handle any more than that as it was now.  
Law returned to the man's side and sat down on the bed next to him. He placed the cup on the bedside table and gently touched Corazon's shoulder with his left hand to let him know he was there before doing anything else. Law intended to lift him up to a sitting position and support him while offering him the soup to drink. However, when Law wrapped his right arm around the man's shoulders, Corazon started trembling uncontrollably. Law could see his mouth moving as if he was trying to say something, but naturally he couldn't produce any comprehensible sounds with his damaged throat and tongue, and all the scars made Corazon's expression unreadable.  
After going through torture and neglect for years, it was not a surprise he'd be confused and afraid, Law thought. Especially when he couldn't see or hear anything.

Law sighed heavily. He had expected this. The soup would have to wait, he wanted Corazon to know he was in a safe place now. Law placed the man's head back on the pillow with care and stroked his scarred cheek soothingly. This was something Corazon had used to do to him when they traveled together, and it had eased Law's pain at the time. The man's trembling ceased, but he was still tense and breathing nervously.  
For a moment Law just sat there in silence, wondering what he could do to help this person. Cora-san would have to learn that it was him, that it was Law who was there by his side, and that he would never allow anyone to hurt him ever again. He'd protect Corazon, like the man had protected him in the past. Now he had the strength and the skills to do so. And he'd heal the damage done to his body too, as much as just possible.  
But it really made things much harder when Corazon couldn't see him or hear his words. There was so much that Law wanted to tell him too, but that would all have to wait.

Law looked at the man's face again. He had wrapped a bandage over his empty eyesockets, but even through the fabric, it was easy to see that something was missing. He had most likely lost his eyes years ago, so the bandages weren't necessary for stopping the bleeding or anything like that. They did keep dirt from getting to the holes though. But mostly it was done for the sake of his appearance, and to keep the shocked reactions of the crew to the minimum. But Law was well aware of the damage, and it pained him to see his most cherished person in this condition.  
He couldn't help but feel happy to be reunited with this man, and to see him alive. But he would have never wished this sort of torture even to his worst enemies, let alone Cora-san.

Law picked up Corazon's hand and traced the letters of his own name on it with his index finger, "Law". There was no reaction so the surgeon tapped the hand gently and started tracing the letters on the man's palm again: "L. A. W."  
He could see Corazon's mouth opening slightly, most likely from surprise. The man's fingers twitched a little, but he was still too weak to move his arms, and even the little strength he might have had was drained by the handcuffs that were still around his wrists. The surgeon would make sure to get rid of them as soon as he'd have regained some strength himself.

Law raised the man's hand to the level of his face and softly leaned against it, allowing Corazon to feel his cheek, hair, and even the texture of his trademark hat. He could see Corazon's lips quiver. He had recognized Law.  
The surgeon could no longer contain the emotions he'd been hiding for all this time himself. Law started crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down his cheeks like a river. All the longing, the grief, the sadness, and the relief of meeting again ended up mixed together and Law just cried. He bent over to hug the man and leaned against his chest while bawling like a baby, effectively turning the man's shirt wet.

It took a long time for Law to get his emotions under control again and regain his composure. But he didn't care. He had no reason to hide his feelings from Cora-san. Besides, right now it might have been the only way to communicate with him. Law knew that Corazon would surely cry as well if he was still able to. It must have felt horrible to be unable to move or get any information from the surrounding world or express himself in any way, he thought. And it must have been extremely lonely.  
At least, Law wanted to assure him that he wasn't alone anymore. He wanted Cora-san to rest peacefully while he'd figure out a way to bring him back to health. Because, that's what he was going to do. As the user of the Ope Ope fruit, he should be able to help this person better than anyone.

After the emotional outburst, Law took a deep breath.  
The soup on the table was still warm, and now that Cora-san knew that he was with Law, it was time to try again. The surgeon returned to his place next to Corazon and gently patted his shoulder, just like he had done the first time. The man's muscles tensed a little, but this time he didn't start trembling. It would take some time until he'd get used to the human touch again. After all, the only treatment he had received in the captivity must have been extremely rough and violent, based on all the scars left on his body.  
Even years ago, pain hadn't been anything new to Cora-san, and Law knew it. But this torture must have been unimaginably painful. Law frowned at the thought. If he had just known about this earlier, he would have done anything to save this man. He should have returned to the man on that island. He should have been the one to take him away from that place that day. The surgeon sighed, and his thoughts returned to the present time. It still wasn't too late to save Cora-san, it was just going to take some work.  
He wrapped his arms carefully around the taller man, and slowly lifted him into a sitting position on the bed. Corazon's breathing got quicker, even though Law was the one supporting his weight. Even such a minor action seemed to be exhausting for him now. Law kept hoping he was not causing him pain as he helped the man to lean against the wall, but even as Law reached for the cup with his left hand, he kept his right arm around Corazon's shoulders for support and to let him know he was still right there. The surgeon lifted the cup to Corazon's lips, and gave him a moment to notice the smell of the soup. It was clearly effective as the man opened his mouth hungrily, allowing Law to slowly pour in the content. Corazon gulped down the soup greedily, almost choking on it no matter how careful Law tried to be, until all the food was gone. He kept his mouth open, clearly expecting more, and Law felt sorry for having to deny any food from the starving man, but giving him more would most likely turn out fatal at this point.

After a moment Corazon closed his mouth, looking slightly disappointed. Even though he obviously couldn't see or hear Law, he turned his face towards him. Law placed the cup back on the table and patted the man's stomach. It wouldn't be enough to explain why he couldn't give him any more food right now. However, at that moment Corazon did something unexpected. He smiled. The scars on his face distorted his expression, and made it look a bit creepy as a result, and there was sadness in the smile. But for Law it was the most welcomed sight he'd seen in years.  
Law had wanted to protect this man, but once again Cora-san had given Law encouragement and hope instead. Law's heart felt lighter as he helped him to lie down.

From then on Law would repeat this as a regular routine as often as possible, increasing the amount of food little by little.

However, that had been the only time Law saw Corazon smile. Something had changed and Cora-san started hesitating eating the food, and for reasons that Law still couldn't understand, he always turned his head away at first, refusing Law's attempts to help him. But the man had no strength to resist and eventually his hunger took over and he allowed the surgeon to feed him the soup.  
Even so, it worried Law. Had Cora-san lost his will to live to the point that he didn't even want to eat?

"Cora-san... I know it's hard, but you can't give up now. Please..."  
Law whispered the words with sadness and once again he felt regret for not finding the man earlier.  
But even with Corazon acting this way, he was slowly gaining some strength back, and Law could tell he was spending more time awake now, even though he still couldn't move. The surgeon thought that Cora-san might regain his will to live once he'd be able to move a little again, even if just enough to draw symbols with his fingers to answer Law when he wrote messages on his hand. But before any exercise would help Cora-san regain his mobility, Law would have to remove the handcuffs from his wrists. The tools hadn't been able to break the seastone even after several attempts, so Law would have to get them off using his ability. Unfortunately kairouseki cancelled any devil fruit abilities effectively so he couldn't directly switch them with something else like he'd do otherwise.  
The surgeon had regained enough strength to use his "Room" again, so he'd be able to temporarily separate Cora-san's hands from his wrists and slip the handcuffs off fairly easily even without touching them himself. But how would he prepare Cora-san for something like that? After all, suddenly getting cut into pieces wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and it could be quite a shock. It would be much easier if he could tell the man exactly what he was about to do.  
Law traced the words "Don't worry" on Corazon's palm with his finger and patted his shoulder gently. That wasn't much of an explanation, but he hoped it would be enough to calm the man.  
Without wasting more time, the surgeon took Corazon's large hand in his grasp and drew Kikoku. With a precise swing of the sword, he cut the hand off from the man's wrist.  
Corazon shuddered and his mouth opened in surprise. Law placed the separated hand on the bed gently and patted Corazon on the shoulder again. Then he took the man's arm that still had the handcuff on, and using his tools, pushed the seastone ring over Cora-san's wrist so it fell to the floor with a loud clatter. The wounds underneath were badly infected, but even though it wasn't a pretty sight, it was mild compared to all the other damage in the man's body. However, Law wasn't the kind of person who'd overlook even such things for any longer than necessary.  
Now would be a good time to fix some of the damage in Cora-san's body, he thought.  
Law cleaned as much of the infected area as he could.  
After that, the surgeon reattached Cora-san's hand to his wrist without leaving any sign that it had ever been separated from the man's arm. Then he moved on to work on his other hand. Having his hand returned just made Corazon look even more shocked, but he didn't shudder as much when Law repeated the operation on his other hand.

Now that the handcuffs were out of the way, Law would have loved to deal with all of the man's injuries right away, but there was too much damage to fix all at once and Corazon had only started regaining his strength, so today Law would only focus on putting some of the broken bones back together - in their proper places. That, and getting the infection under control. He'd treat it with antibiotics as well, but combined with his ability the recovery should become much faster.

...

Bepo had brought some food from the kitchen. He watched curiously as the captain worked on his patient. For the polar bear, it was always impressive to see the captain use his ability.  
Of course, even he had been a bit freaked out when he saw it for the first time. But, because of his personal experiences with Law's ability, he now viewed it as something utterly miraculous and amazing.  
However, the bear was getting a bit worried since the captain had been spending nearly all his time in the operating room as of lately. He looked extremely tired, and his eyes were red and swollen. But, somehow, as Bepo noticed, Law's determined expression had changed into a more peaceful one.  
The bear placed the tray on the table, and watched quietly. He knew when it was a bad idea to disturb the captain.

Law sighed. He was getting exhausted again. It was slightly harder to work with the borrowed hand, and he had been tired to begin with. He was pushing his limits every time he used his ability, and he'd been using it a lot after finding Cora-san. There was only so much he could do within a single day. The surgeon made sure that everything was in order in the last piece he had been operating on, before returning it to Corazon's body. His patient was still looking quite shocked, and Law stroked his cheek gently. "It's alright." he whispered, even though he knew that Cora-san wouldn't hear the words. Then he finally spotted the polar bear standing next to the door at the other end of the room.

"How long have you been here?"  
The surgeon asked, sounding as casual as usually.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" The bear apologized quickly, slightly startled from being noticed. "I brought you dinner," he pointed at the tray on the table while bowing repeatedly.

"I see. Thank you," Law said looking genuinely grateful. Sometimes he completely forgot to eat when he got too absorbed in his work. This was one of those times. He'd been too concerned about Cora-san's wellbeing to worry about his own. But he could always count on Bepo and the others to take care of everything when he was busy. The polar bear looked slightly surprised for getting thanked by the captain and looked away embarrassed.

Just as Law was thinking about his crew, he heard quick steps from the corridor and Penguin's voice calling for him.  
"Oi! Captain!" Penguin hurried to the room, but stopped at the doorway, hesitating for only a moment before entering.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Law asked the man.

Penguin handed some reports to the captain and started explaining. "There are ships approaching us with high speed."

Law was eyeing the papers with an indifferent expression on his face, but the other two could see him pale slightly.  
"Do you think they are Marines?" He asked sounding almost hopeful.

"No, captain. It doesn't seem that way. What should we do?"

Law looked at Penguin. "Have they been following us for a long time already?"

"Maybe," Penguin answered and looked down, and Law could see he was ashamed of himself. But the captain knew they had all been busy and it was hard to keep track on everything all the time. But if Doflamingo was after them, they didn't have any time to lose.

"Go back and gather everyone inside. We need to submerge immediately!" The captain ordered.

Penguin hurried out of the room and Law was about to follow him when the beeping of the machines suddenly changed. Law turned around, panic starting to show on his face.

"No way! Not now!" He ran to Corazon, and Bepo followed him knowing the captain might need assistance.

"Can I be of any help, captain?"  
The bear was already gathering bottles of medicine and other equipment from the shelves, but, without looking back, Law gestured him to leave the items on the table.

"Go. The others need you. Just get us away from here as fast as possible!"

"Aye, captain!"  
The bear ran out of the room with surprising speed, but Law was no longer paying any attention to him.  
Corazon had stopped breathing, and his heart wasn't doing much better. The shock had been too much for him after all, but the surgeon was going to do everything he could to bring him back.  
Law gathered all the energy he had left and used his "Counter Shock" to restart Cora-san's heart. At first nothing happened, and Law was starting to get desperate. But then, to his great relief, Corazon's heart started beating properly again. Law readjusted the life support system and inserted even more tubes to the man's body and gave him additional oxygen and a shot of adrenaline to stabilize his condition.

After Law was completely sure that Corazon's condition was relatively stable, he collapsed on the floor, too exhausted to move a muscle, and the room around him disappeared into darkness as he lost consciousness...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Polar Bear  
**

Law woke up in Bepo's arms. The bear was carrying the captain towards his own cabin.  
Penguin, Shachi, and Jean Bart were walking by their side, having a hard time concealing their concern for the captain.

"What happened?" Law looked around and attempted to get down, but Bepo kept holding him tightly.

"We... We found you lying on the floor. I'm sorry!" the bear stuttered slightly, looking as if he had just committed a huge crime.

"You need to get some rest, captain..!" Penguin demanded with a serious face.

"We'll look after your patient. Just get some sleep!" Shachi added, looking as stern as the others.

Both Penguin and Shachi were almost begging him to take a break. In the past they wouldn't have dared to even attempt to order their captain around, so they must have been extremely worried about him.  
Until then they had seemed to think of him as invincible, but things had changed a little after the time Law had returned with an arm missing. The entire crew had started to show their concern for his wellbeing much more clearly, lately.

"You don't have to worry about me," Law said. "Besides, that's not what I meant."  
He attempted to get down from Bepo's hold again, but the bear was unusually determined and would only let him go with certain conditions.

"Captain! You really need to rest!" The bear gave him a determined look, and the surgeon met his gaze with a furrowed brow. "Sorry..." Bepo ended up apologizing, but Law ignored him and looked at the others.

"What happened to the attack? Are we still being chased?" He had too many things on his mind. Now wasn't the time to rest. Law crossed his arms, demanding answers from his crew.

Shachi shook his head and Penguin started to explain the situation. "We are deep underwater right now. They won't be able to follow us here. And they wouldn't be able to find us even if they could."

Law nodded. He trusted his crew more than anyone. Especially when it came to handling the submarine.

"But," Law started—he still wasn't ready to leave EVERYTHING in their hands—"I need to take care of Cora-san. He shouldn't be left alone, not even for a moment."

Jean Bart finally spoke up. "You should listen to them, captain. You didn't see yourself after you collapsed. We thought you were dead for a moment. What help would you be for your patient in such a state?! Just take a moment to rest, we'll look after him while you recover."

All the others nodded in agreement and Law could see the persistent worry still written across their features. He had rarely seen his crew acting as serious as that. He also knew they'd take good care of Cora-san.  
Everyone on the submarine was already aware that the man was very important to the captain. There were even rumors going around that the patient was Law's long-lost father. Some others had speculated they might be brothers. But everyone could see that this was someone very special to the captain so they regarded the patient with their utmost respect.

Law hadn't bothered to correct them for now. There would be no benefit in doing that anyway. He rarely talked about his past and had never directly mentioned Corazon to anyone in the crew. Not even when his tattoos were inspired by him… Not even when the name 'Heart Pirates' was a tribute to the man.  
Despite several years had passed, the memories had been too painful to talk about. And if his crew had found out what kind of mission he had been planning when he left them and went to Punk Hazard by himself, they would have tried to stop him, so telling them about his past would have been out of the question anyway.

Of course all of that was in the past now, and with Cora-san aboard things were different. Even then, Law didn't feel like opening up to them. The captain had earned the respect and trust of his crew through his actions, so his past didn't really matter to them anyway. Or at least no one dared to ask him about it. They knew it was something tragic, but most of the members of the crew had their own secrets they'd rather keep to themselves, and the captain had never forced them to talk about those things so they shared a mutual respect and would never ask such questions.  
Even so, whether Law knew it or not, most of them had been familiar with the name 'Cora-san' for a long time before Law had brought the man aboard. It was a name that the captain would whisper when he thought no one was around to hear him, and it was a name he'd utter in his sleep during those rare occasions when his crew actually caught him sleeping.

The crew was also aware that the captain had times when he broke down and disappeared inside his private cabin for days. He'd always claim he was busy with work, but the crew knew better. Especially Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo, who had originally met the captain at a time when he'd been at his weakest.  
Penguin and Shachi had thought he was just a feeble kid, but even at his lowest point Law had kicked their asses easily. Later he'd learned to conceal his emotions and earned a reputation as a cruel pirate captain, but all this time, on that same day every year he'd lock himself inside his cabin and refuse food. Bepo made sure that no one tried to approach him during those times. Law was grateful they respected his privacy even if they were curious.

But as they were unaware of Law's past, it would be hard to explain what Corazon truly meant to him and WHO he was. If they'd find out he was actually Doflamingo's brother it would only cause problems. And telling them he used to be a spy from the Marines wouldn't be much better either. Let alone telling them he used to be a Tenryubito, which was something Law had found out just recently himself. It had been a bit of a shock, but it didn't change the way he felt towards Cora-san at all.  
After all, the man had proved over and over again that none of those things defined him as a person.

Law gave his reliable crewmates a tired glance. "One hour," he said.

"Huh?" Penguin looked at him confused.

Law sighed. "You two should look after Cora-san. I'll rest, but only for an hour," he explained, looking defeated. Then he perked up and scowled at them. "But if ANYTHING happens, let me know immediately," he commanded with a tone full of authority and threat.

"Aye aye, captain!" they all replied in unison.

Law gave Bepo a softer look. "You can let me go now."

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Bepo apologized and nearly dropped the captain.

Law sent the rest of the crew back to their duties and walked into his own cabin. He was more fatigued than he had even realized, so despite his constant state of worry he fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

The nightmares that usually tormented the captain and made him detest sleeping altogether were replaced with different ones. The snowy island turned into a dark dungeon. Cora-san and Doflamingo were there as usually and the dream wasn't any less dark and gory as the ones he usually saw, but this time he wasn't completely powerless, and he wasn't alone.  
The Bepo in his dream smiled at Law reassuringly as he fought to save the person he cherished so much. Doflamingo was still laughing with his strings spreading all around them in a bloody battlefield, but the birdcage had been broken and the dungeon was crumbling. Maybe there was a shimmer of hope even in this nightmare.

...

He was tired, there was no point in denying that. It wasn't only because Law had been treating his patient with barely any rest for the past four weeks. Even though he had allowed himself a moment of sleep, the surgeon just ended up feeling more exhausted by the day.  
Unexpected things had kept happening one after another ever since the battle at Dressrosa. The meeting with Doflamingo and the shocking discovery in the cells being the greatest of all the surprises. Law was indescribably happy that Cora-san was alive. It was truly a miracle he hadn't even dared to hope for. He knew that if he had reached the island even a little later, it would have been too late. In a way it was lucky that Doflamingo had escaped to that place on that particular day, he thought. That way he had ended up leading him there just before Cora-san ran out of time, Law admitted bitterly. But the surgeon couldn't rest easy yet, this battle was far from over.

The signs of neglect and torture on Corazon's body told a horrible tale of the things he'd had to go through during these thirteen years. His body was malnourished and even though Law had been able to slowly increase his portions of food by now, the man still looked like a skeleton.  
Corazon had already been full of scars as Law remembered him, and now most of his body was covered in scar tissue. At least his wounds and broken bones had started to heal, and ever since Law had been able to convince the man that it was him by his side, Corazon had been able to rest slightly more peacefully—most of the time. Even so, for some reason the man still seemed concerned and withdrawn whenever Law was with him. The surgeon couldn't blame him, not after everything the man had gone through.

In the beginning it had seemed as if Cora-san had wanted to escape from him. The surgeon could easily understand that as the man hadn't been aware it was him. But now it was different, and it was almost as if the man was trying to push him away. It puzzled the surgeon and Law couldn't help but to feel a bit sad for being rejected. He was happy to be reunited with Cora-san, but maybe the man didn't feel that way towards him now that so much time had passed. Law tried to shake off such thoughts, knowing he was dealing with more than just physical injuries. It was impossible to tell why Cora-san was acting this way without any proper means of communication, and until the man could tell it to Law himself, there wasn't anything that even a surgeon could do about it. The thought made Law feel unusually helpless and small, like he was a child again, before he had discovered how to use his miraculous ability. And he had to admit, the psychological side of healing was something he wasn't any good at helping with to begin with.  
It made him sad that even after being reunited with his most cherished person, he wasn't able to properly communicate with him. Corazon was unable to see him, unable to hear his words, and rendered unable to speak. All he had was what he could feel with his hands, and he was still too weak to move.

Law had been able to explain him some things by writing on his hand, but it was very slow so it had only been short sentences at the most, and usually just things he could say with a single word. The surgeon would always take the time to explain what he was about to do to Corazon by writing on his hand before each operation to the best of his ability.  
He could only imagine what it was like to live in a world with no light or sound for so long, and for someone who had suffered various kinds of torture, the treatment could be a nightmarish experience, especially if that person had no idea what was happening to his body or why.

Even though Law was able to speak to Cora-san in this manner, the man remained unable to answer. They had finally reached the point where Cora-san was able to raise his hand a little by himself, but it was still shaky and he couldn't hold it up longer than a few seconds, let alone use it for writing. Besides, Law wanted him to rest and use his energy for healing.  
Even so, the worried expression on Cora-san's scarred face whenever Law was by his side perplexed the surgeon. There were many things he'd like to ask Corazon if he'd just get the chance.

Earlier that day the man had tried to tell Law something. Law had been writing on his hand like usually, but Corazon had grabbed his fingers. The hold had been weak and shaky but he had managed to guide Law to open his hand for him to write on. But Corazon hadn't had the strength needed to write anything with his unsteady hand. He had managed to draw something that resembled a wobbly spiral before his hand fell back on the bed, completely out of strength. Law had no idea what that symbol had been meant to be, and Corazon must have known that as he made a frustrated grunt. But no matter how hard he had tried, he hadn't been able to move his hand enough to write anything on Law's hand after that. The doctor had patted the man's shoulder gently and written 'Later' on his hand. He didn't want Cora-san to waste his strength after all.

After that, the day had been as busy as all the others. The surgeon had been able to make some progress in the treatment of Corazon little by little. Many of the man's inner wounds were held together by Doflamingo's strings. Law frowned every time he saw them. He might have admired such an ability if he didn't know that the one that had patched those wounds up happened to be the same person that had caused them to begin with. Seeing them just made him feel as if a part of Doflamingo had followed them. Like he might take control at any given moment. But of course he knew that these strings weren't connected to Doflamingo anymore. And they were the thing that had kept Cora-san alive until now, as the surgeon had to admit begrudgingly. Law would get rid of them as soon as it was safe, but for now he'd just have to leave them be. He wouldn't risk Cora-san's life because of something like that when there were more urgent matters he should be concentrating on.

Law sighed. He was feeling extremely tired, but compared to Corazon's condition, he had nothing to complain about. The surgeon was done with all the routines for the day. Now Corazon was asleep, so Law allowed himself a moment to sit down on the side of his bed and closed his tired eyes.  
The machines kept beeping steadily. Other than that, the only sound in the room was the slow breathing of the sleeping Corazon. It was still labored because of all the damage his body had suffered, but it sounded a lot more healthy and peaceful now than how it had been just a week ago. For Law it was a comforting sound, something he had been longing for without any hope to ever hear it again. He still found it hard to believe that the man was in his submarine, that he was really alive. He would have said it was like a dream, but good things rarely happened in his dreams. This was better than a dream.

"Cora-san," Law whispered without opening his eyes, even though he knew perfectly well that the other wouldn't hear his words. "I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner. I always thought... you..." Law's voice trailed off. He tried to conceal his emotions behind his closed eyelids, but a stray teardrop escaped and fell on his cheek.  
There was no one else in the infirmary to see his momentary breakdown, so Law gave up and allowed the tears to come. The feelings of sadness and relief that Law had been holding in until now got mixed together as he cried, and it felt like there was no end to the tears.

Under his blankets Corazon shifted slightly as if he had sensed Law's tears. The surgeon wondered if that could be the case. The world where Cora-san had been trapped in for years was a dark, soundless void, but perhaps there were things he could sense even in his current state. Even Law couldn't tell how old the wounds on his face exactly were when there were so many newer scars covering the old ones, but they had been there for a long time either way. He had been denied light and sound a long time ago. How did the man experience the world around him or how much he could sense without actually seeing or hearing anything was a mystery.  
Whether Corazon could tell that Law was crying or not, the surgeon assumed that he was awake now. Law reached out to touch his hand gently to let him know he was there. It had become a habit by now. He let his hand rest on Corazon's while wiping the tears from his eyes with the other.

"There are so many things I would ask you, so many things I need to tell you. I wish I could talk with you Cora-san," Law sighed.  
He was silent for a moment, but he needed to speak to the man whether he could hear him or not.

"I promise, I will give you your eyes back. I will find a way to make you hear and speak again. Just you wait," Law said resolutely. "Thanks to you I've gotten this far. I've become a surgeon. I should be able to do that much at least!"

"Captain?"

The surgeon had been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed the polar bear had returned to the infirmary. Bepo was standing in the doorway holding a cup of warm coffee in his paws and watching him.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," the bear apologized and looked away shyly when Law turned to look at him.

Law wasn't happy he had been caught in such an emotional state, but he was glad that out of everyone, the person that saw him was Bepo.  
It wasn't the first time that the polar bear had seen him vulnerable. His presence had been a great comfort for the captain countless of times in the past.

"How much did you hear?" The surgeon tried to sound indifferent even when he knew it was futile.

"Not much," the bear said quietly without facing the surgeon. He was a terrible liar.

Law sighed. "Well, it doesn't really matter anyway," he said tiredly. "Is everything alright?"

Bepo finally met his gaze and gave him an awkward smile. "Everything is alright, captain! There have been no problems so we should reach the next island in only five days," he explained cheerfully, happy to know he'd get some fresh air outside fairly soon. "I just thought you might need this," he added and offered Law the cup of coffee he'd been holding. The surgeon nodded and took the cup gratefully.  
He had been drinking way more coffee than he was used to, in order to give him the much needed energy to keep up with Corazon's daily treatment while the crew was busy navigating and steering the submarine through the dangerous waters of the Grand Line.

The captain knew that everyone in the crew wished he'd rest more because he still hadn't recovered fully, but he had insisted they'd keep up the speed night and day to get away from the potential pursuers until they'd reach the next island: there, they could stop to restock their inventories.  
As the crew was taking turns in handling the submarine, Law was mostly alone in the infirmary. After the earlier incident, Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo had made sure to check on him regularly in turns and to bring him food or coffee from the kitchen. This time it had been Bepo's turn.

The shadows under the surgeon's eyes had grown darker again. Bepo watched Law from the corner of his eye while the captain was sipping his coffee slowly. Even after the emotional outburst he still had that determined expression on his face. Bepo had always admired the captain for that. No matter what happened, he'd remain strong and take care of everything. That was something they had always been able to count on.

Law finished drinking the coffee and placed the cup on the counter, deep in thought. A new idea had occurred to him. He turned to look at the polar bear and studied him carefully. Bepo blinked a few times and was beginning to feel embarrassed as the captain kept staring at him without saying a word.

"Umm," the bear started.

Law just nodded, looking like he had just decided something. Then he frowned a little and turned away to check on the machines in the infirmary.

"Captain?" Bepo tried again. "Can I help you with that?" The bear gestured towards the machine that Law was handling.

The surgeon shook his head without turning to look at the bear. "I've done all of today's routines already," he answered slowly.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Bepo apologized quickly and looked at his feet. He was getting worried that he might have done something to make the captain upset, so he didn't say anything else and just observed Law with confusion and curiosity as the surgeon was turning off the beeping sounds from the machines. For what reason, he didn't know. The screens were still displaying all the numbers and lines as usually, but it was like the sounds were being drained from the infirmary one by one. When the room was completely silent, the captain finally stopped.

"I have a favour to ask of you, though." The captain still wouldn't look at Bepo and his voice sounded a little hollow. Even so, the polar bear felt relieved. It was clear that something was making the captain uneasy, but at least he didn't sound angry. And Law rarely asked for anything so hearing his request felt like a privilege to the bear.

"Anything for you, captain!" Bepo paused for only a moment before he closed the distance between him and the captain, and nuzzled the man's face gently. The request had surprised him, but the bear trusted the captain and was happy to be able to help him with anything he might need help with.

Law glanced at his patient behind him and sat down on the bed beside the man before he finally looked at Bepo in the eyes and spoke again.

"Are you sure?" The surgeon had a serious expression on his face. "The thing I want to do is to swap the bodies of you and Cora-san."

The bear's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Law continued. "It would only be temporary, of course. I just need a moment to talk with him." There was sadness in the captain's eyes and Bepo lowered his gaze, lost in thought. He had heard Law's words to the man earlier. This man, Cora-san, was someone very important to the captain, but they weren't able to talk to each other since the man couldn't see, hear, or speak at all. It must have been hard for the captain, the bear thought. For them both.  
There was no reason for Bepo to question the captain's words. He had followed Law from a young age. The captain had accepted him without prejudices and never made fun of him for his lack of self-confidence or for being different than the others. Most people had called him a monster at first, but the captain had always put a stop to that quickly. They both trusted each other and Law had saved Bepo countless of times by now. The bear loved his captain and if there was something he could do for him in return, he'd gladly do anything. So he nodded in agreement.

"Just temporarily. Right?" The bear smiled innocently.

Law's eyes lit up and he smiled genuinely at Bepo. He looked happier than in a long time and Bepo couldn't help but to smile as well.

"I promise. Only a few hours at the most," the captain reassured. "Just try to sleep until I bring you back. And if anything hurts, raise your hand a little to let me know, alright?"

"Aye aye, captain!"

The polar bear had unwavering trust in this man. And the captain had trusted him this 'mission'. Not anyone else, but him. His smile didn't falter even for a moment.

Yes, Law knew he could always count on Bepo. The surgeon had found the polar bear on that dark day, together with Penguin and Shachi. Things had been different back then and he had ended up saving the bear from those two. Until then Bepo had been all alone, but he had followed Law loyally ever since. By now the captain had saved him countless of times, so no matter what happened the polar bear would always trust in Law's judgement and ability to get them through it.

The others might panic if they had to switch bodies with someone they considered 'half dead', but Bepo would simply do as he was told and wait patiently until Law would give him his body back, because he had promised to do so.  
And there he was, beaming at Law with that sincere trusting smile. The surgeon felt almost sorry for using him for this purpose. Almost. He'd keep his promise of course, and give Bepo his body back later. Besides, Corazon deserved a chance to see him—to see anything—and to hear what he had to say. It had been so many years… so many painful years! They had both suffered, but the agony that Cora-san had gone through all these years must have been unimaginable. Law needed to tell the man that he'd fix the damage. He needed to give him hope, and to reassure him that everything would be alright, that he'd just have to wait for a little longer. And maybe, Law just needed to talk with this man himself. He'd never admit it, but he probably needed this opportunity as much as Cora-san did.

The surgeon looked at the polar bear again with a grateful smile. "Ready?"

Bepo nodded and gave him a thumbs-up with his stubby bear fingers. Law raised his hand. "Shambles!" With a quick movement of his fingers, Law switched the minds of Bepo and Corazon into each other's bodies.

At that very moment the polar bear lost his balance and landed on the floor face-first with a loud thud.  
Law regretted not telling Bepo to sit down. After glancing quickly at the body on the bed, the surgeon hurried to the bear who was now holding his head with both of his paws, looking extremely pitiful and terrified.

The lights, Law realised. For someone who's spent years in complete darkness, even these dim lights must have been extremely bright. And even though the room appeared silent to him, it must have been quite noisy for someone who hadn't heard a thing for such a long time.  
Having the keen senses of a polar bear all of a sudden would surely not help the situation either. Law turned the lights off quickly, leaving only one at the other end of the room lit so he'd be able to see in case something unexpected happened.

He walked back to the bear that was still crouched on the floor as quietly as he could and sat down in front of him.

Law had so many things he wanted to tell to the man immediately, and so many questions to ask, but he knew that Cora-san would need more time to get used to the new situation so he waited patiently.  
After about fifteen minutes had passed, Law patted the bear's shoulder gently to get his attention the same way he had been patting Corazon's shoulder ever since he had brought the man on the submarine.

"Cora-san," Law whispered. It was barely audible but the bear recoiled at the sound. Law grabbed his shaking paws into his hands and slowly pulled them from the bear's closed eyes. "Cora-san," he repeated gently and wrapped his arms around the polar bear.  
It felt no different from hugging Bepo but Law knew that this was the man he had thought dead for such a long time.

"It's me, Law," he continued as quietly as he could.

Corazon still wouldn't answer, but his whole body started shaking uncontrollably in Law's arms.

"It's alright. You are safe now," the surgeon tried to comfort him. "And I'll fix your body as soon as possible," he assured while rubbing the bear's back gently.

Finally the bear opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before slowly raising his head to meet Law's gaze. As his eyes settled on the face of the young man, his mouth dropped open in surprise.

"L... Law..?"

It was Bepo's voice, but it sounded rough like it hadn't been used for a long time.

"Yes. It's me..."

Law wanted to say more, but suddenly he found his own voice shaking. Tears were beginning to blur his vision as he looked at the bear that was Corazon.

For a moment they just looked at each other in silence. It was Corazon that spoke first.

"But... My eyes..!" The bear lifted his paws towards his eyes, but stopped when he saw the furry appendages and the rough paw pads. His expression got filled with surprise and wonder as he faced Law again. "W... What..? Am I?"

The surgeon smiled. "Don't worry about that. I lent you this body so we'd be able to talk," he explained. "You'll get your own body back later. And I promise I'll fix you up so you won't have to borrow the body of anyone else," he continued, but Corazon the polar bear was beginning to look even more confused. Slowly he turned his head around to observe his surroundings.

"Where?"

"This is my submarine. We are in the operating room. I'm a surgeon now," Law explained, trying to keep his words easy to understand.

Corazon looked at Law again and smiled weakly. "Stupid brat... You... Have grown... I'm so glad," he managed to say with tears in his eyes. The bear buried his face in Law's sweater, and the surgeon could feel his furry arms wrap around him.  
It was an awkward hug but Law didn't mind. At that moment he couldn't have felt happier. He returned the gesture and wrapped his arms tighter around the polar bear. "I missed you too," he whispered into his ear.

The tender moment ended and Corazon looked at Law again, paying close attention to the tattoos on his hand and the jolly roger decorating his hoodie. It looked familiar, yet slightly different than the one used by Doflamingo and his crew. The expression on Corazon's face was unreadable and he studied Law for a long time without saying a word.

"Is Doffy... here?" Corazon finally broke the silence, unable to conceal the concern in his tone.

Law hadn't expected this question and he looked at Corazon surprised. "No. Of course not," he answered quickly.

"He didn't get you too?" The bear asked, now with an openly worried expression.

"No," Law said and shook his head.

The polar bear sighed in relief. "That's good."

Corazon was quiet for several minutes, seemingly lost in thought, before he continued. "Law? Are you... a pirate?"

The younger man was taken aback by this question and hesitated for a moment. How would Cora-san feel if he knew? He had been a marine after all. Law shifted uncomfortably as the bear kept staring at him intently. "Yes," he finally admitted. He wasn't sure what to expect next but this was a person that deserved an honest answer no matter what.

Corazon stared at him for a moment with his bear eyes. "I see..." He sighed. "But, not with Doffy?" The polar bear was looking at Law with a serious expression.

The surgeon shook his head. "Cora-san," he started. "I never forgave Doflamingo for what he did to you. I... I always thought you died that day. If I just knew..." His voice trailed off and he lowered his eyes, hiding his face behind the peak of his hat.

The polar bear looked down too and the two sat on the floor in silence deep in thought for several minutes. Finally Corazon took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders that had gone rigid without him noticing. "I guess a lot has happened since that time," he whispered tiredly without looking at Law. He tried to speak as clearly as he could. "I'm sorry Law, it's all a bit too much for me to take in right now..."

Law nodded slowly. He could understand that.

The bear sighed again. "I guess you'd have your reasons..." There was a hint of sadness in his voice. "I have no right to judge you at this point. And I'm not a marine anymore..."

Law looked up and met the gaze of the polar bear. Corazon gave him a tired smile. Law opened his mouth to say something but Corazon had something else on his mind.

"That time, Doffy took me." Corazon paused and took a shuddering breath. "I think he healed me..."

Law frowned at the mention of the man. "And then he hurt you?"

"Yeah..." The bear confirmed quietly.

Corazon kept looking into the distance deep in thought as he continued. "You know, Doffy came back every day. Fed me. Healed my wounds. Many times he was angry and I thought he'd kill me for sure. But he always came back," he explained with an unreadable expression and Law wasn't sure what he was getting at. "But then he didn't come anymore. It felt like eternity..." His voice trailed off for a moment, but then he forced a smile on his face and looked at Law. "But the next thing I knew, you were there."

The surgeon listened in silence, unsure of how to respond. Even when it wasn't easy to understand, he could tell that Cora-san was feeling conflicted about Doflamingo. For years he hadn't had any other company than his brother, who had tortured him so cruelly. But Law couldn't forgive the man even when he had kept Corazon alive and 'healed' his wounds. He had caused him so much more pain after all. The surgeon could only imagine that the reason Doflamingo had kept Cora-san alive all these years was only to make him suffer as much as possible.  
As much as he was grateful for Cora-san being alive, he couldn't feel thankful to the man that had hurt him so much.

The bear kept looking at Law with a sad smile. "I thought he had caught you too. I couldn't forgive myself," he explained weakly.

"Cora-san..." Finally Law understood why the man had felt uneasy with him around.

Corazon shook his head slowly and looked at Law in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Law. For so long the darkness was all I had. I don't even know how many years it's been," he apologized with sadness in his voice. "I... I wanted to die," he confessed quietly and looked down again.

The confession made Law's heart ache, even though he had already figured out that must have been the case. For a moment he felt like telling the other man what he had been about to do at Dressrosa, but he decided that it could wait. There were things that the man needed to hear first. "It's alright now," he said reassuringly. "It wasn't your fault, Cora-san. None of it was. And Doflamingo can't find us here, so don't worry," Law tried to comfort him.

"That's a relief," Corazon said quietly without looking at him.

Law patted the bear gently on the shoulder. "Hey Cora-san, from now on, don't even think about dying anymore." The surgeon had a slightly scolding tone in his voice but he couldn't blame Cora-san for feeling hopeless in that situation. But things would change now. "I'm going to be here with you, and you are going to get better. You just need to rest until then"—he paused for a moment—"and eat your food." Law had a determined scowl on his face.

Corazon raised his head and faced Law with a stunned expression. "Okay," was all he managed to say, but that was enough for the surgeon. As long as Corazon wouldn't try to refuse his help, he'd be able to save him.

"You'll never have to be alone again, so this time it's my turn to help you," Law reminded him. Corazon looked at him with wide eyes and nodded.

Now that the polar bear had calmed down a little and gotten more used to his borrowed body, he started observing the room with more curiosity. His eyes examined the shelves filled to the brim with medical tools and the machines that were a part of the life support system. The room was bursting with all kinds of advanced medical equipment.

"You became an amazing doctor, didn't you?" He smiled warmly at Law.

The surgeon wasn't sure what to say, but Corazon didn't seem to mind the silence. His smile was genuine and he felt proud of the young doctor from the bottom of his heart.  
But he wasn't done looking around. The polar bear started moving his arms and legs to test them before he tried to stand up on wobbly feet. Law hurried to support him from the side. There was nothing wrong with Bepo's body of course, but at the moment Cora-san lacked experience in moving around and the body was a bit different from what he was used to. Not to mention the man was clumsy to begin with.

Corazon grabbed the counter for added support. The metal surface reflected the face of the body he was borrowing clearly. Law couldn't help but to smile as the bear made faces at his reflection. Corazon turned to grin at Law with his best attempt to look like a fierce wild animal and they both laughed.

The next thing that the polar bear spotted was the bed where his real body was lying covered in blankets and hooked up to the life support system. Slowly he started taking steps towards the bed while Law assisted him from the side without saying a word.

After they reached the bedside, Corazon stood there in complete silence for a good while just staring at the body. With mild concern, Law wondered what might have been going through his mind, but he didn't dare to interrupt him. Finally Corazon ended the silence.

"If I'm a... bear..? Is that..?"

Corazon turned to look at Law with an unreadable expression.

"Yes. I swapped your personalities," Law explained. "The one in your body right now is Bepo. He is a trusted member of my crew," he added.

Corazon looked at his paws again before examining his own motionless body deep in thought. "But... That's not... me," he finally stated.

Law gave him a long thoughtful look, but before he could say anything, Corazon continued talking.

"I mean, not really me. It's all wrong, I don't look like that..." The man shook his head sadly as he took in the condition of his real body. "I wasn't expecting anything good, but this... I'm amazed you even knew it was me..."

"Of course I'd know," Law answered, a bit too quickly. He had grown accustomed to seeing Cora-san's body like this by now. In fact, to Law, the man already looked much better than when he had been brought to the submarine. But of course Corazon still didn't look anything like he used to, so seeing himself like this could come as a shock. It wasn't just the missing eyes and all the scars. This 'Corazon' looked weak and fragile. The rehabilitation was slow so his body still had barely any flesh over his bones. He was still pale and his breathing was labored at best. Frankly, he looked like a corpse. But Law looked back at the bear Corazon with a determined expression.

"I told you, I'm going to fix your body," the surgeon reminded him calmly.

"How?" The bear had a dark expression on his face as he turned to look at Law. He didn't seem convinced at all.

"Weren't you the one who brought me the Ope Ope fruit? I have the ability to heal all the sickness and injuries," Law replied and tapped the bear's nose softly with his knuckles. "I just need a bit more time," he added in a determined tone that left no room for doubts.

The bear's eyes lit up a little and he smiled weakly. "Just like you healed yourself," he noted.

The bear-Corazon studied Law's face closely. It was clear that the young man was very tired but there was not even the smallest sign of an illness left on his face. The white patches that Corazon remembered were all gone and the boy had grown up into a fine young man.

It brought back memories from the past and Corazon couldn't help but to tear up as he thought about the boy. "How many years has it been?"

"A bit over thirteen years," Law answered truthfully. He ended up thinking about the past as well and those memories brought back the feeling of regret that he had been barely able to keep under control.

"I... All these years I thought you were dead... I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I'm really sorry," Law told the man. He could hear his own voice breaking but he kept speaking. There was so much he wanted to tell him now that he had a chance. "If I just knew, I would have come sooner..! I wouldn't have allowed any of this happen to you!" Law could no longer contain his emotions and he broke into tears, unable to say any more.

"Law..." The bear reached for the weeping surgeon and pulled him into his arms and they both cried against each other's chests. Corazon wanted to tell Law that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't find his voice anymore so he just held him in his arms.

Eventually Law regained his composure and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve. He smiled reassuringly at Corazon. The bear returned the smile and plopped down on the floor. The room had several chairs but the man was clearly too used to sitting on the floor so any other option didn't even cross his mind. Law decided to follow and sat down next to the polar bear.

"Hey Law," Corazon started when he found his voice. "When I'm myself again, could you give me more of that food?" He scratched his fluffy head awkwardly and looked slightly ashamed of himself for voicing such a wish. "You can probably tell, but I haven't eaten properly in ages. I'm always so hungry."

"I'll try to increase the amount every time, but only little by little," Law answered with the tone of a professional, but looked genuinely remorseful for being unable to fulfill the request. "Your body has been starving for a long time; it will have to get used to digesting food again little by little. If I'd give you any more right now you'd really die," he added bluntly.

"Oh..." The bear looked a bit disappointed, but he understood. He wouldn't argue with a doctor.

"As soon as your body functions normally again, I swear you can eat as much as you want to," Law promised. "That is, if you'll eat your food without resisting from now on." The surgeon narrowed his eyes as he gave Corazon a knowing look. The bear seemed to shrink a little at those words, scratching his head and looking at his feet, clearly embarrassed from being reminded of his earlier attempts to reject Law's help.

"I'm sorry. I won't cause trouble anymore," he promised without looking at Law. "It's just that... I can't really tell where I am, so when I found out it was you... I was worried that Doffy had caught you too." He sighed heavily and raised his head to meet Law's gaze. "I didn't want you to end up like this too, because of me," the bear confessed quietly. He paused for a moment. "And I couldn't tell what was happening to my body either." He gave Law a wobbly smile.

Law looked at him in silence for a moment before answering. "I wish I could have told you clearly what was happening," he said slowly. "I've been operating on your body with the help of my ability to fix all the damage little by little."

"That sounds impressive," Corazon commented and beamed proudly. "It makes me happy to see you really became a great doctor," he said with a smile. "Even if you are a pirate now," he added and laughed a little.

Law smirked at the remark. "As a doctor, I'll make sure you can get off that bed on your own one day," he promised resolutely.

"It's a pity I can't see how you do it," Corazon said with a sigh.

Law looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment. "Then I'll show you." The surgeon placed his left hand on his own chest and after taking a deep breath he exclaimed "Mes," snatching his own heart in his hand to Corazon's shock. The bear fell on his back from the surprise. Law laughed a little as the polar bear crawled back to stare at the heart beating on his hand with wide eyes.

"You see now. I can do things like this thanks to the Ope Ope fruit. Makes it easier to operate any part of a body," Law explained matter-of-factly.

"Doesn't that hurt?" The bear couldn't turn his eyes away from the heart on Law's hand.

"Did it hurt when I operated on you?" The surgeon asked.

"No," answered Corazon, and then looked at Law. "Your ability... It really is like magic after all," he added, visibly amazed.

"I don't know about that, but it sure comes in handy at times," Law responded while he pulled up his hoodie and returned the heart into his chest. "It has its limits though. I can only use the ability so much in a day before it drains all my energy and leaves me powerless," he admitted and shrugged tiredly.

"I'm sorry I'm being a burden to you," Corazon apologized, his eyes still at Law's chest. The tattoo had caught his attention, but before he was able to comment anything about it, they heard a pained whimper from the bed. Law bolted up just in time to see Bepo lift his hand up weakly with an anguished expression on his face. Right then the machines started screaming alarms all around them, signaling that something was horribly wrong.  
Corazon stood up behind Law and looked at his body with wide eyes.

"Oh no," he whispered.

The surgeon had fear painted all over his face, but he was working fast to save the patient. Using his ability, Law scanned his whole body to find the problem. But Corazon knew it already and he didn't want to let anyone else suffer that pain.

"Switch us back," he told Law firmly.

"But," Law started and looked at the bear with wide eyes.

"This is your important friend, right?" Corazon looked at the furry paws of the body he was borrowing. "I can't let someone like that suffer for me," he said and looked Law straight in the eyes.

There was no time to talk about it. Law felt the heavy weight from the memories of losing Cora-san on his heart, but he closed his eyes and nodded. He wouldn't let it get to that. He raised his hand to use his ability again and looked at the bear-Corazon in the eyes one last time.

"I'll save you, I promise!"

Those were the last words Corazon heard before Law switched him back into his own body with "Shambles".

...

Bepo gasped loudly and clutched at his chest with both paws. He fell on his knees and panted heavily, but Law's attention was on Corazon that was currently wheezing and gargling from the blood that was beginning to fill his airways. Some of the wounds inside him must have reopened, and because of the internal bleeding he was having a hard time breathing and his heartbeats had gone erratic. Corazon coughed pitifully once and blood poured out of his mouth. Then he fell eerily silent as he lost consciousness and his heart failed.

"Shit!"

Law was cursing as he rushed to take the patient off the machines so he could restart his heart before it would stop beating completely. He opened Corazon's shirt and placed both of his thumbs on his chest, waiting only a second for the right moment before releasing his "Countershock" to send an electric current through the man's heart.  
For a few tense seconds a complete silence reigned in the room, but then Corazon's heart resumed beating normally. However, the surgeon couldn't relax just yet. Law turned Corazon on his side just as he started sputtering and heaving the blood out of his mouth. The surgeon sighed in relief when the man finally managed to take his first raspy breath. Law would remove the rest of the misplaced liquid using his ability as he'd stop the internal bleeding.

After the surgeon was done, he hooked Corazon up in the life support system again for added oxygen, and administered medicine for the pain. Corazon's expression looked more peaceful now and Law sat down on the bed to catch his breath.  
This had been one of those times when he would have really appreciated the help of his crewmates, but none of them had been around, except for Bepo who was still recovering from his earlier experience.

Law's ability allowed him to handle even the most complicated surgeries without anyone's help, but it left him exhausted, especially when he was already at his limit after using it so much in the recent days. He leaned his back against the wall and took a deep breath. Corazon must have felt his movement because he moved his hand slowly into a weak and shaky thumbs up. Law was glad to see he had regained his consciousness and patted the man gently on the shoulder.  
Then he turned his attention to the polar bear. Bepo had moved to sit on one of the chairs and was watching him quietly.

"You okay, Bepo?"

Law wanted to apologize to the navigator for asking him to do something so terrifying, but at the same time he was glad he had finally been able to talk with Cora-san.

"That was scary," admitted the bear. "It was so dark and quiet, like I was all alone. I've never felt like that. But I took a nap like you told me to, captain," he added.

"You did well," Law told Bepo, who still appeared visibly shaken.

The bear looked at his feet with an embarrassed expression. He wasn't used to compliments.

"I wanted to let you talk with this guy longer, but then it started hurting so much... I'm sorry, captain! I'll do better next time!" Bepo looked at Law with a mix of determination and regret on his face.  
Law felt a bit surprised. After everything that had happened, he would have never asked Bepo to lend his body again, but he was always grateful to the polar bear for his trust and dedication.

"That's not your fault, Bepo. Cora-san is still badly hurt. I didn't expect this to happen now though..." Law shook his head a little.

"I know," Bepo looked at the man resting on the bed next to Law and then back at the surgeon. "I know you'd always save me, captain. Even if it's scary, I trust you. And I want to do something in return for everything."

Hearing those words made Law feel like crying, but he didn't like showing his emotions openly in front of his crew.  
The polar bear had already noticed his boiler suit was soaking wet though. Law was grateful that Bepo hadn't brought it up in any way.

"In that case, I'm counting on you," the surgeon said, making the polar bear smile widely.

"Aye aye, captain!"

The bear saluted him, and Law couldn't help but to smile a little.

"But let's not do that again until Cora-san's body has recovered some more," he told Bepo.

The bear nodded in agreement. He got up slowly and walked towards Law and Corazon. Once he reached the bed, he placed his large paw softly on Corazon's head and ruffled his hair gently. The man turned his head slightly so that Bepo's fluffy arm touched his face. He didn't have the strength to move any more, but Law was sure he had recognized the one whose body he had borrowed just a moment earlier. Bepo sat down on the chair next to the bed and didn't move for a while, allowing the patient to rest his head against his arm. It was clear that being in the man's body had affected him greatly.  
Bepo turned his head to face Law who was still sitting on the bed and leaning against the wall.

"Captain, you should get some rest too," Bepo suggested. "I'll look after him until you wake up," he continued, but Law didn't answer him.

"I'm sorry," Bepo apologized quickly, worried that his suggestion might have offended the captain somehow.

"No, you are right," Law said thoughtfully as he watched how Bepo was looking after Cora-san. He hadn't realized how tired he really was.

The polar bear was slightly surprised when the captain agreed so easily this time. Law got up and observed the two of them silently for a moment.

"Make sure to wake me up immediately if anything happens," he commanded. He was about to leave the room when he stopped and turned around. "Mes," Law said, snatching the heart of his patient with a swift movement of his hand. "I'll be taking this, you handle the rest, alright?" With those words the surgeon left the room, waving over his shoulder while holding the beating heart gently in his other hand.

"Aye aye, captain!" The polar bear shouted after him.

Corazon opened his mouth surprised at the sudden sensation, but now he knew what Law's ability was capable of doing. He leaned his head against Bepo's arm some more, finding comfort in the warmth as he knew that he wasn't alone. The polar bear yawned and rested his head on Corazon's bed. His sharp senses would alert him if anything changed in the condition of the man. He would never let his captain down.

...

Ever since that day, Bepo had been spending much more time with Corazon whenever his duties allowed him to visit the infirmary.  
Law didn't want to leave Cora-san's side even for a moment now that he had gotten him back, but even he could tell that he was going to need more rest if he wanted to have the strength to help him. Because of that, the surgeon was truly grateful to the bear: it seemed like Bepo was able to understand the man better after his experience, and Cora-san didn't seem to mind the furry companion either.

It had been three days since Law had switched their bodies and Corazon's health had improved greatly. There hadn't been any major setbacks after that day and Corazon's physical condition seemed more stable. Sometimes he'd still tremble or recoil from being touched, but now he usually calmed down fast. He could hold his hands up a bit longer too, but writing messages was still too much. He had brought back the method of tapping "yes" or "no" with his finger like he had done back when he had pretended to be mute. This time though it had been Law's idea, as Corazon could have just nodded or shook his head slightly, but this worked as an exercise for his hands.  
The man didn't seem as frustrated either after he found out that there was something he was able to do with his hands. Sometimes Law caught him tapping something by himself. Whether he did that for fun or out of boredom or to exercise on his own, Law was happy to see him move, even if just a little. It was a start. The surgeon gladly brought small items on the bed within the man's reach so he could tap and try to hold them even when he wasn't there to guide him.

That day Law had been feeding Corazon when Bepo appeared. The surgeon was glad that Cora-san was eating without hesitation now. While soup was still all he could offer to the man, at least he could include a wider variety of ingredients so it was tastier. The cook had been happy to cooperate with the captain in designing Corazon's meals: if things would go as planned, then he might be able to try eating more solid foods in a week.

The polar bear bowed politely as he entered the infirmary. He watched as Law helped his patient lie down on the bed and covered him gently.

"Captain! I'll look after Cora-san now, so you can go to rest," the bear informed.

"Alright," Law replied. As Bepo was taking turns to look after Corazon on a regular basis now, the surgeon had no need to discuss it any further. He'd finish what he had been doing and then go to rest for the duration of Bepo's shift. So he patted Corazon's hand to let him know he wanted to say something. Corazon opened his hand for Law to write on.

"I'm going to rest," Law wrote. "Bepo is here," he added, and Corazon tapped three times with his fingers for "yes".

Bepo looked at Law as he was about to leave. "Is Cora-san doing alright today?" He asked suddenly.

The surgeon stared at the bear for a moment before answering. "Well, you know how he is. But there hasn't been anything unusual today that you'd have to worry about. Just let me know if something changes," Law instructed.

"Aye aye, captain," the bear answered and smiled widely. Law stared at the smiling bear for a moment longer but Bepo didn't say anything else, so he shrugged and walked towards his cabin for some much needed rest.

...

Law felt much better after he woke up. He had been using his ability so much that he was always at his limits, but today he might have enough energy to work a bit more on his patient. He was thinking about Corazon as he walked out of his cabin and started making his way back to the infirmary.

On the way there, something caught his attention.

"I don't remember opening this," he muttered as he saw the door of one of the storage rooms had been left slightly open. Law peeked inside but there was no one in the room so he closed the door and sighed. He'd have to remind his crew that doors weren't supposed to be left open. With him so busy in the infirmary the crew was starting to go wild. The captain didn't mind if they had a party or two as long as they did their work properly and didn't crash the submarine or something. But he wanted to keep things in order. It made things much easier for him if everything was kept in their proper places at all times.

Law would bring that up later. Right now there were things that were much more important so he hurried back to the infirmary.

"Captain! Welcome back!" Bepo greeted him happily as he entered the room.

The surgeon looked around. "Seems like everything is alright here. Good work," he complimented Bepo in a casual tone. The bear smiled happily. "I'll take things from here, so you are free to go back," Law told Bepo.

He was about to start working when the bear interrupted him. "Actually, I already asked Penguin and Shachi to take my shift," Bepo said, looking slightly embarrassed.

Law was a bit surprised and he could imagine the annoyed reactions of the two for having to work an extra shift.

"And why is that?" The surgeon asked, unsure what to expect.

"I'm sorry, captain," the bear apologized in case he had stepped out of line by acting on his own. "When you were sleeping, I asked Cora-san if he wanted to talk with you again," he explained. "He tapped three times. That's a 'yes', right?"

Law looked at the bear even more surprised. "You want to do that again?" He asked.

Bepo nodded. "It's a bit scary," he admitted. "But it's as scary for Cora-san, right? And if it's for the captain, then that's alright. It's something that even I can do," the bear explained with a smile.

Law stared at him in silence for a moment. "That's just like you," he commented. "I'm grateful," he added and smiled a little.

The bear's ears twitched slightly and his smile grew wider. He wasn't used to being praised by the captain so much but it made him happy. "Anything for the captain!" Bepo nodded cheerfully.

"In that case, are you ready to take a nap?" Law asked. "I'll wake you up when we are done." He was already silencing the room and dimming the lights to make it more comfortable for Corazon, who wasn't used to having all those sounds and lights around him.

Bepo watched the surgeon work and nodded, still smiling. The man was unusually eager to go through with his suggestion and failed to hide it. The bear was glad he could do something to make his captain happy.

Law stopped to face Bepo with a serious expression. "Remember, if anything hurts, let me know. Immediately. You should be able to move your arms a bit more this time," he instructed. "I don't think anything will go wrong again, but just in case…" Law smiled reassuringly at the bear. "Oh, and there's one more thing. You should probably sit down on the floor."

Bepo tilted his head confused, but complied with the suggestion and sat down on the floor.

"Good. All ready now?" Law confirmed again with his hand already raised.

"Aye aye, captain!" Bepo closed his eyes and Law swapped the personalities of the two.

As expected, the bear fell over on his back immediately, but this time he was already on the floor so the surgeon wasn't too worried about that. He kneeled on the floor next to him.

"Cora-san?"

The bear turned his head around with a stunned expression. "Law?" It took him a moment to realise that he could open his eyes. When he did, he blinked a few times and a delighted smile appeared on his face. "Law!"

The surgeon couldn't help but smile as well. He helped Corazon to sit up.

The bear studied him with interest. "I didn't think I'd be able to see you again so soon." His words sounded genuinely happy this time. "The bear asked me if I wanted to, but I still didn't expect it right away."

"It seems like Bepo planned this on his own," Law explained honestly in a tone full of gratefulness and relief. He hadn't planned to ask the bear to swap places with Cora-san ever again after the earlier incident, but this saved him from a lot of trouble and he was certainly happy to get another chance to talk with the man.

The bear stood up slowly and looked around. Not much had changed in the room so he walked to look at the person lying on the bed and frowned.

"This guy really looks miserable..." Corazon shook his head as he studied the body lying in the bed.

"It's you," Law deadpanned.

Corazon looked at his body again and placed his paw on its chest. He could feel the hole where his heart was missing from his body through the blankets. "So you really took it, huh?"

Law nodded. "That way I'll have your heart with me no matter where I go," he explained casually.

"You have no idea how weird that sounds, do you?" Corazon shook his head. "But... thank you," he added and smiled a little. Then he gave Law a serious look again. "Can't you do something about that face?" Corazon thought for a moment. "Hey, Law, do you have lipstick?"

The surgeon nearly fell off balance at the unexpected question, and Corazon must have realised how unlikely that would be as he laughed. "I guess you wouldn't."

The surgeon tilted his head and looked at the bear for a moment. Then he walked to the other side of the room and opened a locker without a word.

"No way," Corazon whispered as Law started searching for something from the locker. But the thing he pulled out wasn't a lipstick—it was a gold coin. The bear looked at him curiously. Law stared at the coin and raised his free hand up.

"Room."

Corazon wasn't sure what the young man was doing so he just observed him quietly. Law moved his hands a little and took a deep breath. The bear could have sworn he saw Law's legs give in for a moment, but then the man called "Shambles" and the coin on his hand was suddenly replaced with something else—a lipstick.  
The bear gasped in surprise.

Corazon studied Law's face intently. "I didn't expect you to actually have one." His voice was filled with disbelief as he imagined what the young man might look like with lipstick on his face.

Law chuckled. "Don't misunderstand. This isn't mine," he explained. "I don't think Ikkaku is going to be too upset if we take it. She's also a member of my crew."

Corazon frowned and Law could tell he was judging him silently.

"Law..."

"Don't worry, with that coin she can buy several of these." Law was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed as Corazon was still staring at him, so he walked back to the bear and placed the lipstick on his hand.

"Do whatever you want with that."

Corazon kept staring at Law with a scowl. "Law, you shouldn't take the property of a lady like that..."

Law shrugged. "I think she'll forgive me. If not, I'll buy her a new one myself."

They looked at each other for a moment before they both started laughing.

Law sat down on the corner of the bed and watched as the bear opened the lipstick with care. Corazon tried his hardest to concentrate on the task, but it wasn't going well.

"Man, these paws are clumsy," Corazon complained as his attempts to apply the lipstick on the face of his own body were causing a mess and the makeup ended up unsteady and crooked.

"You are one to talk," Law said and smiled.

"Haha, I guess you've got a point," the bear admitted and laughed.

The surgeon opened his hand and nodded at Corazon. The bear stared at the hand in front of him for a moment before he placed the lipstick on Law's palm.

"It's probably better if I do it this time." The surgeon was already preparing a wet towel to clean the face of Corazon's body with. Bepo must be feeling quite confused by now, he mused to himself as he started rubbing the makeup off with the towel. Corazon watched closely as he reapplied the lipstick on his face in the same way he remembered Cora-san having it in the past.

"You've got skills! I had no idea," Corazon complimented as he admired the results. The painted smile couldn't hide the scars but it effectively drew the attention away from them.

Law shrugged. "I'm a surgeon, my hands need to be steady." He stepped down from the bed and walked to place the lipstick in the locker where he had taken the coin from. "But next time you'll have to do this yourself." He smiled at Corazon, knowing the man would feel better if he was allowed to do things himself. "Is there anything else you'd like to do now?"

Corazon thought for a moment. There were many things he'd want to do but he didn't want to trouble Law with his requests. Just spending time together made him happy, even more when they were able to talk like this. For a moment he could feel like himself again—at least a little bit. But the other man kept staring at him, expecting an answer.

"Umm, if it's not too much trouble, could we just eat a meal together like in the past or something," he offered. "I mean, I still can't eat much when I'm myself and I've forgotten what actual food tastes like..." Corazon looked at Law. "That doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the soup, of course! It's the best I've had in a long time, even if I can't taste much," he added quickly.

Law nodded. "That's easy to arrange," he commented. "What would you like to eat then?"

Corazon hadn't thought seriously about eating food in a long time so it felt like an impossible choice. "Something with cabbage?" He tried. It was the first thing that came to his mind.

Law stared at him in stunned silence for a moment. Then he frowned slightly and Corazon looked down. "It's no good, huh?"

"There is nothing wrong with that, but you seriously shouldn't eat something like cabbage in Bepo's body..." The surgeon's expression shifted into a slightly disgusted scowl as he was reminded of something unpleasant. "The entire submarine will stink for a week after that!"

"Oh..." Corazon looked at his furry paws again. "What would you recommend then?"

Law stopped to think for a moment. There should be fish prepared for the day in the kitchen, with some rice if he was lucky. He could recall the usual placement of the ingredients on the kitchen counter. "I think you'll like this," he told Corazon and raised his hand. "Shambles!"  
The empty cups on the counter of the infirmary vanished and plates filled with freshly prepared food took their place.

Corazon gasped in awe, but then something else caught his attention. This time he was sure of it, Law had staggered. But the surgeon quickly regained his balance and turned to look at him with a smile on his face. "Fish should be good, right?"

Corazon looked at him in stunned silence for a moment, but Law seemed fine, so he nodded enthusiastically. "Nothing would taste as good right now," he agreed and hummed happily as the smell of the fried fish reached his nose.

Law pushed two chairs by the counter. He would have loved to take Corazon to somewhere more comfortable, but the infirmary would have to do as he couldn't leave Bepo alone.

Corazon observed him curiously until Law patted the other chair, inviting him to sit down. The bear could barely contain his excitement as he saw the meal in front of him.

"Wait!" Law stopped him just when he was about to take a bite.

Corazon gave him a confused look, but Law didn't say anything. The surgeon just grabbed his own utensils and filled his mouth with the food.

"Good. It's still a bit hot, but not too much," he muttered to himself and turned to look at the bear, who was still staring at him in confused silence. "Go ahead, Cora-san," he said with a nod.

Corazon blinked a few times before he finally took a bite of the food he'd been holding in front of him. Tears of joy filled his eyes. "Law! This is the best food I've ever had," he exclaimed happily.

Law chuckled. "You are just saying that because you haven't eaten fish for a while." But even the surgeon seemed quite pleased with the meal.

"I never expected you'd be able to do so many things with your ability," Corazon commented and smiled warmly. "That's really convenient," he complimented.

Law shrugged nonchalantly. "It works when I know where everything is."

"Like that glass of water over there," Corazon said without thinking.

Law laughed. "I don't need the ability for something like that." He got up and picked up the glass from the table. "If you are thirsty, just say so." He was about to return to the counter with the glass in his hands when suddenly his legs gave in.  
Before Corazon had the time to react, Law fell face down on the floor and the glass shattered into pieces, splashing water everywhere.

"Law!" The bear's eyes widened in shock as there was no response. He hurried to the man, falling off balance himself. But Corazon didn't care, he was too worried about the young doctor. "Law?! What happened?"

The surgeon opened his eyes slowly and found himself in the arms of the polar bear.

"Uhh... Bepo..?" He blinked slowly as his head started clearing little by little. "No, it's Cora-san, isn't it," he muttered to himself.

"Are you alright, Law?" The bear had worry written all across his face.

"I'm fine," Law tried to reassure. "I probably shouldn't have used 'Shambles' earlier. Like I told you, this ability has its limits," he admitted.

"Then you need to stop doing that," Corazon said with a worried frown on his face.

"It's alright. I just need to sleep it off and I'll be fine. I haven't gotten enough sleep lately, so things like this happen..." Law tried to get up, but Corazon refused to let him go.

"If that's the case, you should go to get some rest right now," he ordered.

Law's expression shifted into an annoyed scowl. "Cora-san... I can't just do that and leave you or Bepo alone," he protested.

Corazon stared at him for a moment without saying anything. Then he grabbed Law with both of his arms and lifted him up from the floor. The surgeon couldn't help but yelp in surprise. The bear had a determined expression on his face as he walked towards the bed while carrying Law, careful to avoid stepping on the shards of the broken glass that were still scattered around the floor.

"Cora-san! Wait! What are you doing?!" Law struggled a little to get off, but the bear held him tightly. Corazon stopped by the bed and almost threw Law on it—right next to his own body. There was enough room for them both, but the sudden motion had startled Bepo and he was turning his head from side to side to figure out what had happened. Law reached out to pat his head soothingly.

"This should be fine, right?" Corazon looked at Law. "You'll definitely notice if something happens if you are there, so just get some rest."

"That's true, but..." Law found himself at a loss for words. He sighed and looked defeated. "What are you going to do then?"

Corazon was silent for a moment before he gave Law a tired smile. "Probably... what I normally do. I'll take a nap as well." He shrugged and sat down, leaning his back against the bed. He looked at the mess on the floor. "Or I could clean up the shards for you," he offered.

"Uhh..." Law shook his head. "It's probably better if I do that later. You are, I mean, your paws are clumsy, right?" The surgeon smirked as Corazon shot him a glare.

"Okay, I got your point. Just go to sleep already!" the bear ordered, laughing.

...

The sound of metal tools being used, as well as people talking somewhere in the distance, slowly pulled the man awake. He was having a hard time remembering where he was, and his eyelids felt too heavy to open.  
For some reason, Rosinante's mind just seemed too fuzzy to think properly, but he knew there was something important he needed to remember.

Rosinante's whole body was feeling unnaturally numb, and he realised that his arms had been bound together to an awkward position behind his back. If the feeling of being completely powerless was anything to go by, he was bound with chains made of kairouseki.

So he got caught, huh? But by whom?

As the man started wondering this, still half asleep, he was suddenly splashed with cold water. That effectively pulled him completely back to reality.

"At last!" Doflamingo's voice commented coldly.

Rosinante opened his eyes and blinked a few times. When realisation hit him, he could barely stop himself from panicking.

Was Law safe? Did he get caught too?

Rosinante had been shot—several times on top of that—and left to die in the snow on that cold island. He thought he had died for sure. So why was he here now? And how?  
His body was numb and he was unable to move his limbs except for his right arm, even though the chains prevented him from moving it much either. In the end he just lied on the floor while trying to clear his mind.

"Good morning, Corazon," Doflamingo greeted him with faked happiness, drawing the man's attention to himself.  
He was smiling widely, but Rosinante knew that the smile never reached his eyes even if he couldn't see them.

"Uhhh..." Rosinante shifted in his bonds to get a better view of his surroundings, but the movement sent a twinge of pain through his body.

Doflamingo was examining him from the doorway of the cell while holding an empty bucket in one hand. The way his veins were bulging on his forehead made it obvious that he was angry even though he was still smiling.  
Rosinante stared at his brother blankly for a moment before he resumed observing his surroundings. The stone floor was still wet from the water Doflamingo had splashed him with. Then, he became suddenly aware of his exposed state and his countless wounds that, to his surprise, had stopped bleeding.

Doflamingo noticed what he was looking at and exclaimed, "Look at you and your sad state… what a tragedy!" He shook his head slowly as he observed his brother through his sunglasses.

Rosinante lifted his head weakly and tried to change into a more comfortable position again, but failed miserably as the chains restrained him from moving. He could barely resist the urge to flinch and yelp in pain as the still fresh wounds made contact with the rough stone floor.

Doflamingo ignored his struggle and started walking slowly back and forth in the cell after dropping the bucket in a corner. Rosinante could see his fingers twitching.  
"I'm really disappointed, you know," Doflamingo said as he looked at him again. "I really wanted to trust you, but then you just had to go and pull such a foolish stunt on me. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me, Corazon?" Doflamingo took a step closer to him, and his forced smile shifted into an angry scowl.

With the memories from Minion island still fresh in his mind, Rosinante couldn't help but feel frightened of his brother and whatever he was planning to do. He would have wanted nothing more than to run away from there, but he knew it was hopeless so he just glared back at his brother defiantly.  
"Hard?" he commented bitterly. "Look who's talking, you shot me yourself!"

Doflamingo leaned closer to him and grabbed his chin. "You pointed a gun at me. What else should I have done?"

His voice was low and threatening, and Rosinante recoiled a little. He could see his own fearful expression reflected from his brother's sunglasses.  
"Only a monster would think like that!" he hissed through clenched teeth, trying to jerk his face away. "You weren't planning to let me live either way, isn't that right?"

Doflamingo looked at him and grinned. "Fufufu, how perceptive of you, Corazon." He tightened his grip on his chin so that Rosinante was forced to look at him again. "But didn't I still save you? Just who do you think took care of your wounds?"

"You call this 'saving' someone? That's ridiculous!" Rosinante had to concentrate to keep his fear under control as he faced his brother. It was just like on that island, and he was grateful that Law wasn't here with him this time.  
Doflamingo wasn't someone that would just "save" a person out of kindness. Rosinante didn't even want to think about the reasons Doffy might have for keeping him alive. He could tell his older brother was getting more annoyed by the way his grin faded away as he leaned even closer to his face. Then, he finally felt the pressure slacken on his chin as Doflamingo let his head fall back to the floor and resumed walking around the cell.

"You make me sad." Doflamingo crossed his arms loosely and rubbed his jaw pensively. "I didn't want to do any of this… I really thought you understood me, but in the end even you turned against me and betrayed me. It's such a shame, really." If Doflamingo actually felt anything other than anger, he managed to hide it perfectly. He huffed irritably and stopped next to his brother again.

"How could I understand someone so cruel?!" Rosinante glared at him. "I haven't forgotten what you did to father..."

"Cruel? Isn't that a bit too harsh for you to say?" Doflamingo rebutted. "You can't blame me for your current situation. You really are just like father, aren't you..? You knew very well what would happen if you turned against me, Corazon."  
The threatening tone returned to Doflamingo's voice as he bent down next to Rosinante once again and toyed with his hair.

Rosinante wanted to back away, but he knew it was futile so he just remained silent.

"It's unfortunate that things had to turn out like this, but what is done is done." Doflamingo gazed at the bullet wounds on his brother's body. Then, his expression shifted into a cruel smile. "But even if it was by fate, you made the wrong decision, Corazon. I can't just let you go after something like that." With a flick of his wrist he made strings appear, which trapped Rosinante like a spider's web. "You knowing so much puts my whole family in danger. You picked the wrong side."  
Doflamingo's smile didn't falter as he tightened the strings around his brother enough to make him gasp for air.

Rosinante tried desperately to hold on to what remained of his composure, but his voice sounded weak when he spoke. "I was prepared for the consequences if I'd get caught..." He took a rattling breath. "But there is one thing I didn't expect: you keeping me alive."

"Fufufu! I couldn't just leave my cute little brother to die, could I?"

Doflamingo's laughter sounded like mocking to Rosinante. Was his brother getting some kind of sick amusement from the situation?  
"I don't need that kind of nonsense, Doffy," he managed to say. "You must have had a reason. You always do." Rosinante didn't want to think about it, but he needed to know. "What do you need me for?"

"Come on, Corazon!" Doflamingo chuckled. "Don't be so harsh! You are right though. What you did on that island is a big problem for me, but it's for your own good if you don't know what I'm planning."

"If it's about Dressrosa, I already know what you are thinking." Rosinante remembered bitterly that he was never able to send his report.

"Look, Vergo told me about your little letter. Your situation here is nothing compared to the problems you would have caused to us with it. You know a little too much already." Doflamingo paused for a moment and smirked. "It's a lot bigger than you are imagining though. That country is only the beginning of it..." He lifted his brother so that they were face to face with each other.

"What do you mean?" Rosinante was confused. He had been hearing about Dressrosa ever since they were children, but there was clearly something he didn't know.

Doflamingo shook his head. "Didn't I say it's better if you don't know, Corazon? If I tell you any more about it I'll really have to kill you." His smile grew wider, sending shudders down Rosinante's spine. "Fufufu, that would be a waste. But I need to make sure you'll never try to reveal our secrets to anyone ever again." Doflamingo paused for a moment. "It would have been better for you if you had never heard anything about those plans to begin with."

Rosinante frowned. "Are you going to keep me as a prisoner indefinitely then? What if someone comes searching for me? This place will be found eventually."

Doflamingo laughed. "Aren't you being surprisingly sharp today! Maybe that's exactly what I want," he replied.

"A trap, huh?" Rosinante was getting a bad feeling about it, but Doflamingo interrupted him before he could ask any more questions.

"Enough with the boring stuff. There is something else that I'd like to know, Corazon," Doflamingo started, observing Rosinante as he was still hanging limply from his strings. "Ever since you woke up, you haven't even tried to move. I'm pretty sure I patched up all those wounds well enough for you to be able to at least sit up, but you've been like this the whole time..." He paused for a moment and looked at his brother closely. "Those handcuffs are made of kairouseki. Could it be that you are actually a devil fruit user?"

Rosinante glared at his brother. "Why should I tell you that?"

Doflamingo frowned. "Don't anger me now, Corazon. Just how many secrets have you kept from us? What type of ability do you have anyway?"

"That's none of your business," Rosinante retorted. "And why are you still calling me 'Corazon'? Haven't you found anyone to replace me yet?"  
He knew exactly how dangerous it was to make Doflamingo mad but he hardly cared. It was far too late to worry about that, even when he couldn't shake away the fear he felt as he faced his brother. At least, he wasn't going to make things too easy for him.

Doflamingo examined him through his sunglasses with an amused smirk. "Fufu, I guess there is no harm in telling you that," he conceded, to Rosinante's surprise. "That seat has been reserved for someone for a while already."

"And who would that be?" Rosinante asked, afraid he knew the answer already.

Doflamingo looked at him closely. "There's no use playing dumb now. You should know that very well." He paused for a moment and his smile vanished. "Things changed a little when you stole the Ope Ope fruit and made Law eat it, but there won't be anyone else on that seat until I find that kid. He's going to be the third 'Corazon' as soon as he returns to me, but until then no one will take that title from you. Even if you are a traitor."

Rosinante smiled weakly. "Law will never come back to someone like you."

Doflamingo laughed coldly. "What makes you so sure about it?"

Rosinante barely had time to react as Doflamingo shoved him away roughly. He slumped against the wall of the cell, but his brother kept talking.

"It seems to me like you and Law became awfully close in that half a year. Now that he's eaten the Ope Ope fruit it's extremely important that he returns to me. Taking some precautions so people are more willing to obey is never a bad idea, don't you think?" His voice was emotionless, and he wasn't looking at Rosinante anymore. "He'll come running, it's only a matter of time." Doflamingo smiled widely, his veins bulging dangerously.

"So, you are going to use me to blackmail Law?" Rosinante asked seethingly as soon as he found his voice again. "That will never work!"

"Now now, that's not fun," Doflamingo complained. "Look, you could have been the brightest gem in my collection! As my brother you should have had a lot of potential. But no, you just went ahead and gave it all away..! You really are just like father! If you hadn't stolen the Ope Ope fruit and given it to Law, we wouldn't be in this situation." His fingers twitched again as he spread his arms theatrically. "Look at the mess you caused! I'm just taking back what belongs to me!"

"What kind of 'gem' is sacrificed for your personal goals?! For you, everyone is just a tool..!"  
Rosinante was panting from exertion. Some of his wounds had definitely reopened.

"Great accomplishments always come with a price. Out of everyone, you should know that, Corazon!"

Doflamingo was getting visibly angry now, and Rosinante tried to prepare himself for an attack as much as he could. But his brother wasn't done talking yet.

"As a marine you should know about the incident from nine years ago. Just how many innocent people do you think were sacrificed that time? And you must have found out about Flevance from Law," Doflamingo continued. "Whether it's the Government or the Marines, they are no different. When those people stopped being useful to them, they were tossed away like worthless trash. You should be grateful I didn't just leave you out there to die!"

"That's not–" Rosinante started, but he wasn't sure what to say.

"See, that's how it is." Doflamingo glared at Rosinante through his sunglasses and took a step closer to him. "You can only blame yourself for the situation you got yourself in. But it's unfortunate that you just had to drag Law into it, too. It's your fault I can't let him get away."

Doflamingo kicked Rosinante's abdomen before turning around and marching out of the door angrily. He hadn't hit him hard, but given his current condition the impact was enough to reopen his wounds both inside and out, leaving him wheezing in agony and coughing more blood.

"I really thought you were smarter than this, Corazon. For such a long time I really wanted to hear your voice... but you've become boring now that you talk."

Doflamingo's voice sounded ominous and cold as he walked away from Rosinante's line of vision, leaving him lying alone on the hard stone floor of his cell.

...

Law woke up to the sound of quiet whimpering. He propped himself up to peek over Bepo that was currently in Corazon's body, careful to not disturb his sleep. He found Corazon trembling on the floor and breathing in quick, shallow gasps. He was lying on his side, curled in on himself, and probably asleep.

"Cora-san," Law called softly. There was no reaction, so he tried again with a louder voice. "Cora-san! Are you okay?" Finally the bear snapped out of it. He opened his eyes wide and looked around in confused panic.

Law stepped down from the bed slowly and kneeled in front of him. He understood nightmares well, and Cora-san had clearly just relived some traumatic event in his sleep.

"It's alright now," he reassured him, placing his hand on the bear's cheek.

"L... Law..?" Corazon stuttered and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, it's me. You are currently inside the infirmary of my submarine," Law reminded him, "and in Bepo's body."

The bear took one more shuddering breath before he smiled weakly. "I'm fine, it was just a nightmare."

Law could tell Cora-san was trying to convince himself with those words more than anything. He looked at the bear with a serious expression.

"Whatever it was, it's all in the past now," he said. "And I will never let it happen again," the surgeon promised as he wrapped his arms around the polar bear.

"I'm sorry, Law," Corazon stated quietly. "I hope I didn't wake you up..."

"Stop worrying about me," Law scolded him with an uncharacteristically gentle voice.

"When I'm awake I know that I'm here with you, but whenever I sleep..." Corazon's voice trailed off for a moment. "When I fall asleep, I always find myself back there. You know, with Doffy. In the dungeon..." He sighed. "It's good that I can see you. When I'm myself, it's really hard to tell which is real. Sometimes I wonder if you are just a dream after all..." The bear shook his head sadly.

Law leaned against him and sighed. "I know, Cora-san," he said tiredly. "You know what I dream about? It's always that day when I thought you died..."

Corazon looked at Law in shock. "Really?"

Law nodded. "Now that you are here, it has started changing though."

They were both silent for a while, but then Corazon perked up and gave Law a shaky smile. "You know, Law, even when I'm myself, I still know when you are in the room."

"You do?" Law looked at him surprised.

"Yeah, you move differently than the others, so I always know. I noticed it some time ago," he explained. "And this bear too. But I don't know about the others..."

"Well, you haven't met the others like this after all," Law noted. "One day I'll introduce them to you properly."

Suddenly a rustle caught their attention. Bepo was shifting nervously in the bed. He had clearly woken up from his sleep.

Corazon and Law looked at each other.

"He's been in my body for quite a while already. I suppose he needs his own body back," Corazon said as casually as he could, but Law could hear a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Is that okay with you?" Law gave Corazon a worried look, knowing he had just woken up from a nightmare.

"I'm fine. This isn't my body after all." The bear shrugged. "I'm used to being"—he paused for a moment and looked at the body on the bed—"like that."

Law hugged him again and sighed. "I guess we'll talk more some other time."

Corazon nodded and gave him a wobbly smile. "Thank the bear for me. I'm really grateful for this." He felt his chest grow tight and had to remind himself that this wasn't a goodbye. He wasn't going anywhere, they'd still be in the same room.

Law held him tighter. "I'll stay here, so don't worry," he whispered, almost as if he'd heard Corazon's thoughts.

"Until next time then." Corazon raised his hand and patted Law's head with his paw.

The surgeon stood up and patted Bepo on his shoulder. He nodded at Corazon and raised his hand. "Ready?"

Corazon just nodded and Law swapped the two back into their own bodies. Then he plopped back onto the floor in front of the polar bear.

"Captain?" The bear was still looking at him, but now he was Bepo. "Are you alright, captain?" The bear was eyeing the mess in the room.

Law was sitting on the floor completely exhausted and only nodded in response.

Bepo stood up and looked around. He stopped when he noticed the smile painted on Corazon's face and stared at it in confusion.

Law finally found the strength to stand up as well. "Cora-san thought he'd look less miserable like that," he explained.

Bepo stared at the painted smile for a moment before he turned to face Law with a smile on his own face. "That's good, isn't it?"

Law smiled as well. "Yeah," he admitted as he moved to clean the floor from the glass shards. This time he wouldn't use his ability for the job; he'd save it for something else.

* * *

 _Sorry for the delay. I was saving this chapter for the "Corazon week". I'll try to get chapter 3 done as soon as I can. :)_


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